I am asking for a plea for help for animals. A friend of mine (Kimberly) who has an Animal Sanctuary in Westport, Ontario, is in dire need of help. She must find homes for all of her animals before Dec. 31st of this year. If you knew her, you would know how horrible this situation is for her. She is an amazing human being and her non-human companions which she has rescued from unspeakable situations, are her family members. This is truly heartbreaking for her and she needs all of our help. Attached you will find her email to me regarding why this has happened, as well as a 'bio' on all her non-human companions that need to be adopted and placed immediately.

Please forward this on to other true animal lovers ASAP. If you have any ideas of how to help her, you can contact her by phone at (613) 273-6315. It is best to call her in the evening. Also, you can email Kimberly at haven@rideau.net

Also, feel free to contact me by phone (613) 386-1355 or email wen.don@sympatico.ca if you feel more comfortable.

Please help! This is a real emergency situation and we need a community effort for this to work. I know we can do it, if we pull together!!! THANK YOU!!

First let me thank you for emailing some time ago regarding speaking with you at Queen's. I was actually quite excited by the idea and did mean to respond and attend. I have been going through quite a transition however and this doesn't leave much time for anything extra at the moment. I do apologize for not at least letting you know one way or the other.

Since my breast cancer diagnosis two years ago, things have been very strained. Despite my desire and determination to continue on the scale that I have been ... I have had to face my physical and financial limitations this year and come to the very difficult realization that I will have to shut down our sanctuary. We simply cannot keep up with the expenses. Many things are in need of repair (both inside and out) and we don't have the funds or the manpower to fix them. I'm also going through a divorce, had to go back to work (in Kingston). I'm simply spreading myself too thin and this significantly effects my short and long-term health putting me at risk of the cancer returning. I have two live-in interns at the moment and they are taking very good care of the animals while I'm working. The working conditions are difficult however and I cannot afford to pay the one intern for much longer. The farm itself also has to be sold as part of my divorce which simply adds more fuel to the fire. I always promised I would provide the best life possible to the animals in my care and in order to do that now, I need to place them in permanent, loving homes as quickly as possible. Our deadline is December 31st, 2004. Donna and I both realize how difficult a task this will be. Certainly impossible without help and this is why we are reaching out before we reach crisis mode.

I am concerned about getting other animal rescue workers involved because I need to see the animals placed with extreme care and concern. It's my preference to reach out to only those who have caring, compassionate and understanding hearts. We've been through so much already that we would find it difficult to deal with those who are judgemental about our situation. I'm sending this to you because I believe you are one of those caring and compassionate people. I so enjoyed meeting you at the conference that day and I trust that you will share this information with people you trust. We also had an idea that there might be someone out there who is interested in buying the farm and taking over the sanctuary. A longshot yes, but one worth mentioning. So if you have any thoughts, please do share them.

The following is a list of the animals up for adoption. I've tried to provide as much detail as possible. I can have photos available for anyone who is interested. If you have any questions at all Wendy, please ask them. I have been checking emails regularly and will continue to do so. We have had many successful adoptions this year and we feel very positive about those placements. It makes this entire process a little easier knowing that we are doing something good for our beloved animals, placing them where they will have one-on-one attention and love for the rest of their lives. So that you aren't totally discouraged by this news, I do intend to proceed with the therapy work with some of the sanctuary dogs that will remain in my care. I'd like to talk to you about that too at a later date if you're interested. Okay, read on and let me know what you think. Is this email okay to send out to people? This is emotionally very difficult that I find it hard to know which way to turn at the moment. I appreciate any help you can provide. Talk to you soon,